# Nathan Cooper (Canadian politician)

Nathan Matthew Cooper MLA (born April 18, 1980) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015, 2019, and 2023 Alberta general elections to represent the electoral district of Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills in the 29th, 30th, and 31st Alberta Legislatures. Cooper was a municipal councillor in Carstairs, Alberta prior to being elected to the Legislative Assembly. Cooper also served as Chief of Staff to the Wildrose Official Opposition caucus.
On July 24, 2017, Cooper was elected interim leader of the new United Conservative Party caucus, becoming the Leader of the Opposition in that process. On that same date, he and his interim leadership team nominally assumed the leaderships of the two parties that merged to form the UCP, the Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose. At the time, Alberta electoral law did not allow parties to formally merge. On 28 October 2017, Cooper's tenure as interim leader ended when former PC leader Jason Kenney was elected as the UCP's first full-time leader.
Cooper was first elected to serve as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta on May 21, 2019. He was reelected Speaker on June 20, 2023.

## Speaker of the House

Cooper was elected Speaker of the House in the Alberta Legislature on May 21, 2019 and reelected to a second term on June 20, 2023.
He was nominated for reelection by Minister Nate Horner. Horner noted that Cooper that was "an absolute parliamentary and political nerd," and had done "a remarkable job" as Speaker of the 30th Legislature.

### COVID-19 letter controversy

In 2021, Cooper signed a letter opposing restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cooper was widely criticized for violating the Speaker's role of impartiality and impeding his ability to moderate debate. Former Speaker David Carter has suggested that Cooper should resign or be removed by a motion of non-confidence.
He later apologized for violating the Speaker's traditional role of impartiality. Former Speaker Robert Wanner stated that while he believed the apology was sincere, it did not go far enough to restore faith in his impartiality.

## Electoral history
### 2023 general election

vte2023 Alberta general election: Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | United Conservative | Nathan Cooper | 18,228 | 75.29 | -3.26 |
| | New Democratic | Cheryl Hunter Loewen | 4,553 | 18.81 | +7.05 |
| | Alberta Independence | Katherine Kowalchuk | 1,140 | 4.71 | – |
| | Wildrose Loyalty Coalition | Cam Tatlock | 183 | 0.76 | – |
| | Solidarity Movement | Judy Bridges | 105 | 0.43 | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 24,209 | 99.43 | – |
| Rejected and declined | Rejected and declined | Rejected and declined | 138 | 0.57 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,347 | 62.13 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 39,185 |
| | United Conservative hold | United Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -5.16 |
| Source(s) Source: Elections Alberta |||||||

### 2019 general election

vte2019 Alberta general election: Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | United Conservative | Nathan Cooper | 20,516 | 78.55% | -1.21% |
| | New Democratic | Kyle Johnston | 3,070 | 11.75% | -5.06% |
| | Alberta Party | Chase Brown | 1,779 | 6.81% | 3.39% |
| | Freedom Conservative | Allen MacLennan | 557 | 2.13% | – |
| | Alberta Advantage Party | Dave Hughes | 195 | 0.75% | – |
| Total | Total | Total | 26,117 | – | – |
| Rejected, Spoiled and Declined | Rejected, Spoiled and Declined | Rejected, Spoiled and Declined | 120 | – | – |
| Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | Eligible electors / Turnout | 36,375 | 72.13% | 12.69% |
| | United Conservative notional hold | United Conservative notional hold | Swing | Swing | 19.87% |
| Source(s) Source: "76 - Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, 2019 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020. |||||||

### 2015 general election

2015 Alberta general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Wildrose | Nathan Cooper | 10,692 | 53.4% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Wade Bearchell | 5,274 | 26.3% |
| | New Democratic | Glenn Norman | 3,366 | 16.8% |
| | Alberta Party | Jim Adamchick | 685 | 3.4% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 20,017 |